The use of cosmetics is widespread in modern society. Cosmetics typically are intended to provide an attractive appearance through the use of color, e.g., by highlighting certain features of the face and/or accentuating natural colors. Colored cosmetics are used, for example, to accentuate lines of separation (eye liners and lip liners), to provide sensuous color to portions of the skin (lipsticks and glosses) and to provide a "healthy glow" to the cheeks (blushes and rouges). Cosmetics may also be used to hide imperfections of the skin and to protect the skin (e.g., by blocking the skin from harmful ultraviolet light).
A variety of coloring agents can be used to color cosmetics, including inorganic and organic dyes or pigments. Generally, to be useful as cosmetic colorants, soluble dyes must be converted into insoluble forms. For the purposes of this application, any soluble dye that is in solution, will be referred to as a "solvated dye". A solvated dye composed of a water-soluble dye in an aqueous solution will be referred to as an "aqueous dye". A "pigment" is any soluble dye, whether in a dry, powder form, or in solution, that has been converted into an insoluble form. There are a variety of methods currently used in the cosmetic industry to insolubilize soluble dyes. The most common method used to insolubilize water-soluble dyes is called "laking". "Lake" colorants are metallic complexes of organic coloring matter obtained by precipitating an organic dyestuff onto an inorganic substrate. See generally U.S. Pat. No. 3,873,687. Water-soluble dyes have also been insolubilized by salifying the dyes with copolymers. See generally U.S. Pat. No. 4438,140.
Applicants have discovered that cosmetics containing pigments formed by incorporating a solvated dye into a resin, exhibit superior brilliance and clarity of color, as compared to cosmetics containing pigments formed through conventional processes, such as, e.g., "laking". Thus, the pigments used in the compositions of this invention typically are made by incorporating a solvated dye into a resin to obtain a colored resin, which then may be ground into a powdered pigment suitable for cosmetic applications.
Any soluble dye can be used to manufacture the pigments used in the compositions of this invention. The preferred dyes used to manufacture the pigments used in the compositions of this invention are water-soluble dyes. For example, several different methods for the manufacture of these pigments using daylight fluorescent dyes are described generally in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,938,873 and 2,498,592.
To the best of our knowledge, to date the pigments used in the compositions of this invention have not been utilized in cosmetic compositions. Neither, to the best of our knowledge, have these pigments been applied to the skin (e.g., the lips or cheeks), hair, or nails to enhance their appearance.
It is an object of the present invention to provide cosmetic compositions that are characterized by their exceptional brilliance and clarity of color.
A further object of this invention is to provide attractive colored cosmetic compositions that are stable and safe for application to the human skin, hair, or nails.
Another object of this invention is to provide a method of providing an attractive appearance to the skin, hair, or nails.